9 Pieces Of Sage Advice For Incoming College Freshmen

Going to college is like entering a whole other world. You're on your own schedule, have to do your own laundry, and make a lot of your own decisions. It's a lot different than what you've been used to, and it takes a bit of time to get into the swing of things.

However, once you get used to your life away from home, it's a lot less scary. College is unlike anything you'll ever experience, so there isn't too much advice I can give, because a lot of things you need to figure out on your own. That being said, there are some parts of college life that can become tricky to deal with along the way.

1. Don't be afraid to ask other students questions.

Figuring out where you're going can be very confusing because you're in a brand new place. Most of the students around you understand how you feel and will be more than happy to help you with whatever questions you have about the school.

2. Remember to check in with your family.

You will become very busy at college, but make sure to take the time to update your parents on how everything is going. Just sending your family a quick text will be sure to ease Mom's worried mind, and it can also ease your mind, too.

3. Make sure to make room for school work.

Getting caught up in the party scene can be a lot of fun, but always remember that your #1 priority at school is to get a degree. Putting focus on your school work is essential to doing well in college. Make sure you have a balance between going out and getting work done. It may be hard, but it's definitely possible.

4. Step out of your comfort zone.

College is the time to experience a ton of new things. Never be afraid to try new things and join new clubs. You'll meet a lot of new people along the way that can end up becoming pretty good friends.

5. Make time to exercise.

Going from playing sports in high school to doing absolutely nothing is a huge change. The freshman 15 is REAL, people. Make sure you are doing the best you can to head to the gym a few times a week. It's hard to get motivated between all of the work and activities, so be sure to get into a routine of working out.

6. Know your limits.

You can interpret this in a lot of different ways. Know your limit of how much work you can do in one day. Spending your entire day in the library can actually drive you insane, so make sure you know when to take a break from school work and give yourself a breather. Also, if you like to go out, know your limits if you're drinking. College is a lot of fun, but always make sure you're being responsible and safe.

7. Remember you're not alone because everyone is in the same boat as you.

Your roommate, your classmates, and a majority of the people living around you are most likely going to be college freshmen as well. Being a freshman is very nerve-racking, but everyone around you pretty much feels the same way. You're all going through the same thing together, so try to be as outgoing as possible when making friends.

8. Save that cash you made over the summer.

Believe me, you will eventually get sick of the cafeteria food and want to blow all your money on real food. I get it. However, you don't realize just how fast all that cash goes. Try to limit yourself to how much you spend a month.

9. Live every moment to the fullest.

College really is some of the best years of your life. Make sure to take advantage of every moment and have as much fun as possible. It goes by in the blink of an eye, and then you're shipped off to the real world, so enjoy it! Always appreciate the time you have and create memories that will last a lifetime.

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To The Defeated Nursing Major, You'll Rise

You'll rise because every single day that you slip on your navy blue scrubs and fling your pretty little stethoscope around your neck, the little girl that you once were with the dream of saving lives someday will be silently nudging you to keep going.

You will have weeks when you are defeated. Some mornings you won't be able to get out of bed and some days you won't be able to stop crying enough to go to class. You'll feel like nobody understands the stress that you are under, and you have absolutely nobody to talk to because they either don't get it or are dealing with their own meltdowns. There will be weeks that you want to change your major and give up on the whole thing. But, you'll rise.

You will miss football games, concerts, and nights out with the girls. There will be stretches of two or more weeks you'll go without seeing your mom, and months where you have to cancel on your best friend 4+ times because you have too much studying to do. There will be times where no amount of "I'm sorry" can make it up to your little brother when you miss his big football game or your grandparents when you haven't seen them in months. But, you'll rise.

You will have patients who tell you how little they respect nurses and that you won't be able to please no matter how hard you try. You will have professors who seem like their goal is to break you, especially on your bad days. You will encounter doctors who make you feel like the most insignificant person on the planet. You will leave class some days, put your head against your steering wheel and cry until it seems like there's nothing left to cry out. But, you'll rise.

You will fail tests that you studied so hard for, and you will wing some tests because you worked too late the night before. You will watch some of the smartest people you've ever known fail out because they simply aren't good test takers. You will watch helplessly as your best friend falls apart because of a bad test grade and know that there is absolutely nothing you can do for her. There will be weeks that you just can't crack a smile no matter how hard you try. But, you'll rise.

You'll rise because you have to — because you've spent entirely too much money and effort to give up that easily. You'll rise because you don't want to let your family down. You'll rise because you're too far in to stop now. You'll rise because the only other option is failing, and we all know that nurses do not give up.

You'll rise because you remember how badly you wanted this, just 3 years ago as you were graduating high school, with your whole world ahead of you. You'll rise because you know there are people that would do anything to be in your position.

You'll rise because you'll have one patient during your darkest week that'll change everything— that'll hug you and remind you exactly why you're doing this, why this is the only thing you can picture yourself doing for the rest of your life.

You'll rise because every single day that you slip on your navy blue scrubs and fling your pretty little stethoscope around your neck, the little girl that you once were with the dream of saving lives someday will be silently nudging you to keep going.

You'll rise because you have compassion, you are selfless, and you are strong. You'll rise because even during the darkest weeks, you have the constant reminder that you will be changing the world someday.

A Definitive Ranking Of Purdue University's Dining Courts

Purdue University was recently named #19 on Best Value School's "50 Best College With The Best Food 2017-2018" article, but how do their dining courts rate against each other? After finding myself in each dining court for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at least three times, I have decided to rank them to find the champion amongst champions. Please note that this list is purely my own personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of my school as a whole nor the students attending it.

5. Ford Dining Court

Although it is the closest dining court to my dorm, I purposely go out of my way to avoid eating here. Of the numerous times I have eaten here, I find myself searching high and low for food that is not a burger, not pizza, not chicken tenders, and not Chinese food. Listen, I love all of these things (excluding Chinese food) as much as the next guy, but when it's being served almost every day, it not only gets boring but it starts to lose its good taste.

My advice to Ford is to change it up more often because I really want to make more use of you!

4. Earhart Dining Court

Of the times I have been to Earhart, I have always managed to eat the most random and dissimilar foods possible. It could be 10:30 am and I would be forced to eat scrambled eggs along with a breaded chicken breast or a risotto of some sort. No, I don't dislike any of those foods, but I do like my meals to be somewhat cohesive and only consist of one type of "meal food". However, I will note that Earhart does offer what I believe to be the BEST mashed potatoes on campus so a few bonus points for that!

My advice to Earhart is if you're going to serve food that overlaps two generally separate meals offer more food of each so students can pick and choose from more of one or the other rather than having to settle for a weird combo.

3. Wiley Dining Court

While I attend Wiley regularly, it still lacks the strength needed to push into my top two dining courts. When I go eat at Wiley I will 9 times out of 10 opt for their professional pasta bar or use the small self-making pasta right next to it. I love this pasta bar because it allows me to indulge in my favorite food of all time and the ingredients they offer to allow me to have the same culinary creativity I would if I had access to my own kitchen. However, this is where my rave for Wiley stops as much of the other food I've tried was too salty for my taste.

My advice to Wiley is to keep serving 10/10 pasta with impeccable ingredients and I know Salt Bae was a thing for a while, but maybe be a little less heavy-handed with the sodium?

2. Hillenbrand Dining Court

This is where it got hard. Between Hillenbrand and my number one choice, I struggled with determining where to place them but I finally concluded that Hillenbrand came just shy of number one. Hillenbrand is what I believe to be the best in terms of food diversity but the worst in terms of lines. I guess with great food comes even greater and longer waiting. The number of times I have waited in a ridiculously long line for the make your own Burger Bar, Wings Your Way Bar, or Quesadilla bar is too many to count. However, I continue to do so because the food is so good. Maybe it's unfair to rank a dining court based on its lines rather than it's food but someone has to be number one.

My advice to Hillenbrand is to keep the food diversity up, but work on getting it out faster because I'm hungry!

1. Windsor Dining Court

All of the many things that set Windsor above the rest are fresh baked cookies, halal options, gourmet salad bar, and make your own burrito bar. I constantly find myself eating at Windsor munching on a kale salad with quinoa, hot chicken, and Italian salad dressing or a burrito bowl that comes without the extra fee of getting double guac. I mean come on people gourmet salads and burrito bowls are all anyone needs! But let's not forget the fresh baked desserts that the amazing kitchen staff whip up, they taste homemade and are too addictive to not pass up. Bonus of Windsor? It's architecture resembles Hogwarts, which makes for an even better dining experience.